Sacroiliac supporter



Oct. 29, 194 c. J. FLAHERTY 2,219,475

SACROILIAC SUPPORTER Filed April 20, 1938 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE 2,219,475 sAoRoILIAo SUPPORTER Charles J. Flaherty, Bronx, N. Y.

Application April 20, 1938, Serial No. 203,034

2 Claims.

This invention relates to surgical devices adapted for body support being particularly adapted for embodiment in a sacroiliac supporter. It is illustrated as embodied in that form. Such a supporter comprises primarily a body band or belt adapted to encircle the body around the abdomen and having a pad supported by the belt and pressed firmly against the sacroiliac section.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved means of connecting the pad section of asurgical device to the belt section in such a way that the pad section may be carried by the belt section at the point where the latter is laced in a manner to permit the pad section to be held centrally under the lacing while at the same time holding it in place while the belt is applied and permitting the adjustment of the laced sections of the belt to and from each other by adjustment to the lacing without interfering with or being interfered with by the support for the pads.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents the belt of the character described in front elevation.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of that portion of the belt showing the connection between the belt and the pad.

Figure 4 shows a diiferent adjustment of the same.

In the drawing the numerals l0 and II designate two lateral sections of the belt portion of the device held together at the front by suitable straps l2|2 passing through buckles |3-|3. This belt portion may, if desired, have suitable elastic sections |4|4 made of the customary elastic fabric having long rubber strands providing elasticity in a horizontal direction to accommodate itself to the movements of the hip bones. The sections l0 and l l are equipped at the back with the usual eyelet holes I5 through which are carried lacings IS, the ends of the lacings being caught together and fastened to straps ||-I8, one on each side of the device,

the straps l1 and I8 being carried around the body and joined by a buckle l9 at the front.

As will be seen from the drawing, each separate lacing string is carried from one of the straps ll across the opening between the members I0 and H through the eyelet hole in the other member across, underneath, between the two members and through the eyelet hole on the side from which it started, then back over the opening between the members to the member l8 on the other side, the lacing thus having no connection to the pad.

The pad designated as 20 is supported from the members I!) and H by a series of elastics 2| each of which is joined to the member ID at 22 and attached to the pad 20 at its central portion as shown. at 23 and to the member H at its other end as shown at. The joining of the elastic to the pad at 23 may be conveniently made by attaching a tape to the face of the pad next to the belt by a line of stitching along each end of the tape, thereby providing a channel through which the elastic may be carried.

With this construction it will be clear that within the limits of stretchability of the rubber strands of the elastic material the pad 20 will be centrally disposed over the opening between the sections l0 and II regardless of how close these may be drawn together by the lacing or stretched apart by their tension around the body. Normally, however, it is not intended that the elastic strips 2| shall exert any undue pressure around the body and on this account the strips 2| are not intended to take the circumferential abdominal strains. For this reason I prefer to provide an additional strip 25 of inextensible tape parallel to and embodied with the elastic material, the tape being of such a length as to provide normally a considerable slack so as to permit the elongation of the elastic 2| within proper limits but to limit the ulti mate stretching of the elastic to a safe point.

When the device is being placed upon the body the elastics 2| hold the pad 20 in place while the buckles are being adjusted even though 5 the grip on the straps I1 and I8 may be momentarily relaxed. As soon, however, as the buckles |3 are fastened the desired tension around the body may be obtained by tightening the straps ||-|8, thus drawing up the lacing at the back.

This arrangement provides a much greater convenience in placing the device upon the body by reason of its holding the pad in place during adjustment, at the same time it gives the body full freedom. Moreover, if during any par ticular position of the body the tension of the belt around the body should be relaxed, nevertheless there is no tendency of the pad 20 to drop, being restrained as it is by the tension of the elastic 2!.

Moreover, as will be seen from Figure 4, this construction makes it possible to adjust the position of the pad to either side of the center as may be required, merely by slipping the elastic strips 2| through the channels in which they are held. This feature is an important one in connection with this supporter since it makes the device flexible to meet various needs, giving the advantages to the user of a device specially built for his individual needs.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and dififerent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A surgical device comprising a body encircling portion having two ends attached together by lacing, a pad and means for attaching said pad to said body encircling portion comprising an elastic having its central portion connected to the pad and having its opposite ends attached respectively to the two ends of the said body encircling portion, and having a slack tape attached at its middle to the pad and having its ends attached respectively to the ends of the body encircling portion, the slack being such as to limit the stretchability of the elastic to that for which it is designed.

2. A surgical device comprising a body encircling portion having two ends attached together by lacing, a pad and means for attaching the pad to the body encircling portion comprising a member forming a channel on one face of the pad, an elastic extending through said channel and having its ends attached to the ends of the body encircling portion, whereby the pad may be adjusted to different lateral position with regard to the lacing.

CHARLES J. FLAHERTY. 

